Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Young at Heart

And mine as well. "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" is one of my most favourite stories of all time. Not only do its catchy songs stay with you for days, but the characters leave remarkable impressions and relate to both children and adults. I was not allowed to watch much TV as a child, but between reading Pooh's books and occasionally getting to see his movie when a babysitter came over, I had pretty much memorized the entire tale by the ripe age of 6.

The other stories that always stick with me are classic nursery rhymes, fables, and parables."Bah, Bah, Black sheep have you any wool?" is not easily forgotten, for it rhymes and is so popular throughout American culture, how could one not pick it up?

Parables like "The Little Dutch Boy" by Peter Miller stick out for a different reason. Aside from reading Clifford the Big Red Dog, 101 Dalmations, The Bernstein Bears, and The Magic School Bus, arguably my favorite stories as a child (and admittingly, now) are fables and parables with a moral. "The Little Dutch Boy" discovers a small crack in the dyke. Thinking quickly, he plugs his thumb into the crack to stop the leak from flooding the village. Diligently, he sits there waiting all night until somebody sees him and gets help. The lesson teaches children that acting quickly can prevent large-scale disaster. Proactive solutions now lead to smaller problems later. The book, "The Children's Book of Virtues" By William Bennett includes this story and several other memorable tales. The illustrations are beautifully done and commit the tales to memory even further. You can see or buy the book here http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Book-Virtues-William-Bennett/dp/068481353X

Stories you know by heart make great background while you work. Often, I leave on "Winnie the Pooh" or other songs or stories I have memorized when I animate videos. It makes for a pleasant experience, and I no longer need to see the images, since the story is forever ingrained in my brain (assuming no brain trauma in the future).